Lunch

Kind of a catch-all for those hard-to-classify kinds of places

If it's good enough for Pat Green, it's good enough for me. George's, a legit Waco institution, traces its roots in Waco to 1930 and has been going strong ever since. With a menu that features pretty much everything you could want, complete with a full bar and patio dining, George's is a must stop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

1925 Speight Avenue

6:30am-12am Mon-Sat; Closed Sun

Jake's Texas Tea House

This retro restaurant takes you back to the 1950s gas station aesthetic. You keep looking around for Goldie Wilson. Jake's serves up a different lunch special every day, while the desserts are fresh-made every morning. Every Saturday there's an Elvis show, or a Marilyn Monroe show, or an Andy Jane show, or...fill in the blank. Great for kids and families, Jake's is a downtown Waco treat.

613 Austin Avenue

11am-2:30pm Tue-Thu; 11am-9pm Fri-Sat; 11am-2pm Sun; Closed Mon

The Mac House

You need more mac & cheese in your life, and The Mac House is here to fill that need. The Mac House is So Waco that they get their bread from Homestead Bakery, cheese from Brazos Valley Cheese, and cookies from Baked Bliss. There are a lot of gluten-free options, as well, so assemble your gluten-intolerant friends at The Mac House.

3828 Franklin Avenue

11am-8pm Wed-Sat; Closed Sun-Tue

Olive Branch Cafe

Started by a Baylor grad, the Olive Branch features a number of diverse lunch options from a grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla to sandwiches and fresh salads to baked potatoes to a wide variety of pastas to soups served in a bread bowl. Coffee is sourced directly from the grower. Whatever your itch, you can scratch it at Olive Branch.

Sascee's (pronounced "Sassy's") offers a wonderful down-home Southern-style buffet with beef, pork, or chicken from Saturday-Thursday, and catfish and barbecue on Friday. I dare you to try and save some room for dessert, but you'll regret missing the banana pudding way more than you'll regret stepping on the scale.

Another Waco institution, Schmaltz's has been around Waco since 1975, offering delicious sandwiches on oven-toasted artisan bread that's hand-made every day. You can get soup and salad, but you should really keep it simple and come here for the sandwiches. There are two convenient locations: downtown (address and hours listed below) and off of Valley Mills Drive,